He is the son-of-a-gun with the famous motorsport surname, whose career on four wheels was fuelled in part by a Christmas gift from Formula One legend Michael Schumacher.

But Australia’s newest F1 star Jack Doohan is determined to carve out a name for himself on the biggest motorsport stage of them all.

The son of motorcycle icon Mick Doohan, the 22-year-old from the Gold Coast, boasts an undeniable racing pedigree.

Mick dominated motorcycle racing to win five consecutive 500cc world championships in the 1990s and counted the likes of Schumacher among his good mates.

Doohan’s story could very easily have been about a career pursued on two wheels – like his famous dad – but seven-time F1 world champion Schumacher put in “his bid” early to help set the young Doohan on the path to four.

“I don’t think I was three yet, I think I was still two … it would have been Christmas of 2005 (when) Michael gifted my sister and I two go-karts for Christmas, which is obviously where everything started,” Jack Doohan said.

“My father, even before that, was into karting and into four wheels himself, but it was just a great platform for me to start with.

“I guess that was just him (Schumacher) putting in his bid to see if I would go four wheels and detach from my dad’s path of two.”

If Schumacher helped plant the seeds, Doohan’s path towards a career on four wheels was sealed after an accident at his fifth birthday party when he had a crash at home on his bike and suffered a broken leg.

It gave the young Doohan a scare, but also his dad, who had seen his fair share of broken bones throughout his career at the top in motorcycling.

As he prepared to launch into his full-time career as an F1 driver for Alpine at the Australian Grand Prix this week, Doohan was thankful for the choice he made.

“I am super grateful to be honest that I am on four wheels,” said Doohan, who will join Oscar Piastri as one of two Australians on the grid at Albert Park.

“I like the safety. I like it being inside, knowing that I can make a front wheel lockup and, touch wood, not be sliding on the ground like they would be.

“So, I am grateful for my choice. I think (my dad) is very grateful that I did (choose four wheels as well).

“After obviously living through what he has been through, the injuries, the setbacks, I am sure that he is grateful that I am on four wheels.”

SON OF A GUN

While Doohan didn’t follow his dad into the world of MotoGP, the legendary rider has been there every step of the way along his son’s journey to F1.

Doohan has been waiting in the wings for an F1 seat, serving as Alpine’s reserve driver for the past two years after joining the Alpine Academy in 2022. He was part of the Red Bull Junior Team before that.

Doohan proved his talent climbing the stepladder to F1, finishing runner-up in Formula Three in 2021 and then third in his final season in Formula Two in 2023.

He got the call-up to make his F1 debut, replacing the outgoing Esteban Ocon, for the final race of the season last year at Abu Dhabi.

Doohan said he could not have made it to F1 without the support of his father and his family.

“He has been everything. He and my mother, I would not be here without them, I would be nothing,” said Doohan, who will race alongside Frenchman Pierre Gasly at Alpine.

“He and my mum have been extremely important and they are still here a part of the way still on this journey, assisting me, helping me, guiding me through each and every step which I am very grateful for.

“I think (he will be) very proud, him and my whole family (watching me at Albert Park). We have made a tremendous amount of sacrifice to get to this point.

“It is great when you are able to be there and be able to experience and witness it all.”

Despite growing up with one of the most famous last names in Australian motorsport, Doohan said he had not felt extra pressure as the son of Mick Doohan.

“I think I might have been more prone to that if I was on two wheels, but on four wheels it very quickly goes away,” Doohan said.

“I don’t think there was pressure, maybe there would have been more if I was on two wheels, for sure.

“But for me he was always just my regular dad and I enjoyed having him by my side and to support me in each and every way.”

CHAMPIONSHIP GOALS 

He is yet to launch into his first full-time season in F1, but Doohan is already aiming high.

The rookie wants to cement his name as a world champion in the biggest motorsport show on earth.

“I want to obviously be the best and be at the top of the sport,” Doohan said.

“My goal was always to be in Formula One, but to also be a Formula One world champion.

“I have trust in the team and I have trust in our capabilities and our future and we’ve been working very hard to get the team, the car and every single individual to the front of the grid so that we are able to fight for podiums, wins and hopefully some championships.

“That’s what I want to be doing. I’m a racer. I want to be up fighting for podiums and wins.

“I know there are steps along the way to get there and I certainly won’t miss any, but if I have to give you an outright goal, that would be it for sure.”

He has had a pair of multiple world champions to model on.

Doohan was quick to nominate his father as his racing hero, with Ferrari great Schumacher was close behind.

“Michael was obviously the best for me when it came to Formula One,” Doohan said.

“Seven-time world champion and was able to drive through a numerous amount of difficulty, whether it was dry, wet, gear box issues and not only that, but obviously my dad was very close to him.

“So he had an inside knowledge of how he trained, how he performed, how he worked and his mentality to go racing.

“It took more than just obviously being in the top car, the top machinery, he was a true athlete and performer and I really admired that.”

HOME RACE DEBUT

One of six rookies on the grid in 2025, Doohan said it was “super special” to get the chance to launch his full-time F1 career at his home race in Australia, which makes its return as the season opener this year.

“I am super excited to debut my first full season with my home race in Australia,” he said.

“Obviously the debut of Formula One (season) has not been in Australia for a number of years now, since 2019, so it’s super special that in my first year it’s back as the debut round.

“I feel very prepared. The Alpine Formula One team has done amazing things for me. It’s my fourth year with the team now from being an Academy member, to the reserve driver to now the full-time driver, it is really cool to have stepped up through the ranks with the team.

“They have been prepping me very well in our previous generation Formula One cars … they have made me very acclimatised to Formula Onemachinery, but also to the Formula Onepersonnel, all our team and engineers.”

Doohan said making his F1 debut in the season finale in Abu Dhabi had helped reduce the nerves ahead of the Australian race when the spotlight will burn brighter.

He said the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix had given him a valuable insight into how to manage his race weekends.

“I think they (nerves) would have been more if I had not raced in Abu Dhabi,” Doohan said.

“To go through those emotions and get the feelings and get the structure of the race weekend done and just in my head knowing exactly how much time I have throughout a weekend helped massively.

“At the end of the day, race week, managing commitments on-track, off-track, it’s all energy management and to know that I am to structure that a little bit better than I did before. I know exactly what is coming, maybe not everything. It will definitely be easier.

“I’m sure there will still be some nerves naturally, if there wasn’t it would be weird. But I look forward to enjoying them.”

Even before he gets to the starting grid, Doohan has had to fend off pre-season speculation about his F1 future following Alpine’s signing of highly-rated Argentinian Franco Colapinto as a reserve driver in January.

Despite the off-track talk, Doohan said he did not feel under any more pressure to deliver results straight away.

“I know what my situation is …. (they are) rumours and that’s exactly what they are,” Doohan said.

“To be honest it is good. I have been in the press a lot and Alpine has been (as well), so good for both.

“I haven’t been getting into it. To be honest I don’t read any of it anyway. I know what I have to do and I would be wanting to perform from the start anyway.

“I don’t need anyone to tell me to do that or to have to be in a position to do that. That is just basic knowledge and I look forward to doing that for this year and many years to come.”

LONG JOURNEY

With his sights on F1, Doohan made the move overseas to race in Europe when he was 13.

He said it felt as if it had been a long-time coming, but the sacrifices he had made leaving Australia had all been worthwhile.

“It feels long, but to be honest time flies on the road,” Doohan said.

“Going from race weekend to race weekend to commitment and (I’m) still only 22 years old.

“Although I moved overseas and sacrificed when I was young, if I could have signed a document when I was 13 or 14 to say, ‘It might seem like a long time then’, I definitely think I still would have signed it to make sure I got to where I am now.”

While he described himself as a “Gold Coast boy”, Doohan is based in Monaco where many of the F1 drivers call home.

He said being near the water and the summer weather made it feel like home.

“It’s good. I’m obviously a Gold Coast boy, so being close to the beach, the water, the warm weather, is crucial,” Doohan said.

“It’s not so warm at the moment in the south of France, but at least we are close to the water, the beach and some warm weather when it gets into the middle of the year and into the summer months.

“I enjoy it a lot. It has been home for me for the past eight years and it still is and it will be for a very long time.”

Doohan returned to Australia for a short time over summer to prepare for his debut F1 season.

“I was able to get back to Australia for some warm months for training ... I would have loved to have stayed and done some camps in Europe, but definitely Australia is offering some much warmer weather,” Doohan said.

“It was also a good opportunity while I was there for my training camp to see some friends and family for a couple of weeks which was great.

“But in very early-mid-January I was back in Europe at the factory, spending time with the team, starting our sim prep and making sure that I am as ready as I can be.”

Asked if he would have lots of family and friends supporting him at Albert Park, Doohan said he was trying not to bring too much focus on himself.

“I wouldn’t say a lot. We are trying to keep it, especially on my side, as low-key as possible,” Doohan said.

“I know they are all supporting me, they will all be there whether it’s in person or virtually, I know everyone will be supporting me.

“But from my side I want to keep it minimal and focus on the job at hand.”

ENDS